Drivers in the area frequently travel on busy local roads and interstate highways. They often need to share those streets with massive commercial trucks. When those large vehicles lose control in jackknife truck accidents in Bloomfield, devastating injuries and fatalities can occur.
Trucking accidents are often more legally complicated than crashes involving most other types of motor vehicles. To have the best chance of obtaining the compensation you deserve, you need to work with a seasoned local lawyer who has extensive experience handling truck wreck claims. A dedicated personal injury attorney from Fredson Statmore Bitterman, LLC can give your case the small firm attention it deserves while getting you big firm results.
Causes of Jackknife Trucking Collisions
Jackknife trucking accidents happen when the trailer of a semi or other large commercial truck spins out of control at a 90-degree angle to the truck’s cab, forming the shape of an L or a folding jackknife. The trailer can swing into other lanes, striking multiple cars, and causing injuries to many people in those other vehicles.
Truck Driver Negligence
Jackknife accidents frequently happen due to truck driver negligence, such as inexperience or drowsy driving. They occur when drivers hit the brakes too abruptly, forcing the cab to come to a quick stop, but not allowing the trailer sufficient time to catch up. They also happen when truckers make sharp turns or sudden lane changes.
Third-Party Negligence
Sometimes, trucking jackknives happen through no fault of the truck driver. Trucks are more apt to jackknife when their cargo is unbalanced or when the trailer is empty or particularly light. The loading company in charge of putting the cargo on the truck could be at fault.
Occasionally, dangerous road defects or a third-party driver’s negligent actions force a driver to swerve suddenly. Other times, jackknives occur when a tire blows out due to a manufacturer’s defect or a faulty repair.
Slippery roads can also lead to jackknife incidents. In Bloomfield, where the weather constantly changes throughout the year, heavy rain, sleet, ice, and snow can all contribute to dangerous road conditions which could cause a truck to jackknife when the trailer loses traction on the slippery roads. A seasoned legal professional can examine the facts from the accident to see what went wrong and identify the potentially responsible parties.
How to Handle Insurance Companies After a Jackknife Accident
Jackknife trucking collisions in Bloomfield often involve many different parties. When a truck jackknives, it also frequently strikes more than one vehicle, resulting in possible injuries to multiple people. To avoid paying large amounts of money to the people injured in the accident, the trucking company and their insurance company might try to deny or downplay any wrongdoing on the truck driver or company’s behalf. Trucking companies and their insurers have large resources to fight these types of claims, which is why it is critical to work with a legal team that has experience handling these tactics to ensure settlement amounts are fair and adequately consider the full amount of damages.
Additionally, it is important to avoid speaking with insurance companies completely before first consulting with a trusted lawyer. Any innocently placed phrase could be taken out of context and used against an injured motorist as an admission of fault and potentially limit or bar them from obtaining compensation.
Contact a Bloomfield Attorney After a Jackknife Truck Accident
When jackknife truck accidents in Bloomfield occur, the people in the truck’s path of destruction do not usually have any time to react to get out of the way. Consequently, the injuries in jackknife crashes can be catastrophic.
After a collision of this severity, you should not try to handle negotiations with a trucking company’s insurance company on your own. Contact a knowledgeable local attorney who can skillfully handle your lawsuit, while you focus on your emotional and physical recuperation.
